Unlocking a future-proof digital foundation.

“Old ways don’t open new doors.”

This saying, coined by an unknown author, could be the motto of the high-tech industry. High tech’s history is filled with creativity and innovation, and modern tech giants like Intel, Apple, Cisco, and Hewlett-Packard know that unlocking the new doors of the industry requires companies to evolve alongside technology. In other words, they need to be future-proof.

Today’s high-tech companies are under constant pressure to innovate to appeal to an increasingly complicated audience. This means that the tech capabilities needed to meet these constantly evolving needs are themselves constantly evolving — and the tech companies that succeed are the ones that evolve in sync.

And the need for future-proofing couldn’t be greater. By all accounts, the digital revolution is still going strong, and the global data climate is still exploding.

By 2021

Annual mobile traffic will exceed half a zettabyte

Average smartphones will generate 6.8GB of traffic per month

Source: Cisco

Over 6 billion 4G and 5G devices will be connected

There’s so much data coming that it’s impossible for even the best or biggest human teams to tackle all of it — at least, alone. And in reality, not all data is equal — so your data efforts must be able to gain insights based on today’s needs and expand or switch out data as conditions change or new valuable data becomes available. These realities make it imperative to have a powerful, future-proof digital foundation. With one, your data and content will always work together to deliver bleeding-edge technology. Without one, it’s nearly impossible to compete.

To build a digital foundation that will evolve with the changing tech climate — and more importantly, the changing needs of your audience — you need to create something secure, extensible, and scalable.

A secure platform is the key to the future.

Security is the key that will unlock your door to a brighter, faster, and safer tomorrow. We live in a world that’s centered around the internet, software, and digital experiences, so the dangers of our world are also becoming increasingly digital. Attacks on data and information are now a common threat. In fact, a Heritage Foundation report reveals that 2015 saw three times as many successful cyberattacks per week as 2010.

On top of that, Skyhigh reports that the average enterprise experiences 23.2 cloud-related threats and 10.9 cloud-related insider threats per month. Hackers and cyberterrorists are getting smarter, and companies need to stay ahead of them.

In light of this, trust is sometimes hard to come by — but earning your public’s trust is the key that unlocks future growth and sustainability. And the public will only trust you if you can guarantee safe cloud computing. This is why any successful tech stack begins with security. Having a secure digital foundation ensures that it will remain safe from future cyberattacks and earn customer trust for a long time.

While the digital security climate may seem unstable now, the future is yours to shape. And the future holds promising improvements. For example, the cloud is rising to the security challenge. Gartner reports, “By 2018, the 60% of enterprises that implement appropriate cloud visibility and control tools will experience one-third fewer security failures.”

The key to security: the cloud?

94% of brands say the cloud improved security.

85% of cloud users are confident in their provider’s security environment.

Source: RapidScale

56% of cloud users trust their provider to protect their sensitive data.

Look at Amazon. They’re known worldwide for their state-of-the-art security. Business Bee reports that the customer-favorite tech and retail giant obscures data with state-of-the-art encryption and regularly audits their systems to keep security tight. But Amazon takes it another step further. According to Business Insider, Amazon is so serious about this that they purchased a cybersecurity firm. With this acquisition, Amazon can amp up their security, thereby mitigating any fears surrounding cloud security. It could also boost the security of its AI assistant Alexa to stay ahead of future attacks. In short, Amazon knows that threats to cloud security are only getting worse, and it’s planning ahead with these in mind.

You don’t have to purchase an entire cybersecurity firm to be secure, but you should take whatever steps you can to keep your data out of the wrong hands. At Adobe, we take security very seriously. We’ve seen firsthand the threats that are out there, and we’ve taken the necessary steps to keep our data safe. We have implemented security teams across the board, as well as state-of-the-art training, to amp up the security in our software. It’s a surefire way to gain customers — and retain their loyalty into the future.

An extensible platform opens doors to the future.

If security is the key that unlocks the door, then extensibility gives you the power to open that door — and catch a glimpse of the promising future. Today’s leading names have remained successful because they understand how to be extensible, which may be the most important factor in future-proofing. Extensibility allows you to constantly add new pieces to your digital foundation and change with the evolving tech climate. It gives you the power to take advantage of technology and expand quickly into new markets or develop new capabilities. And it can help you automate your entire foundation so you can deliver seamless solutions.

Today’s developers recognize how important this is. According to the newest Forrester Wave, leading vendors of digital platforms share a common trait — flexibility. They are so successful because their extensible platforms offer powerful, adaptable solutions that companies will love.

And companies are experiencing the benefits of cloud computing. In a Tata Communications survey, 67 percent of enterprise respondents using cloud computing have experienced reduced delivery times to clients and partners. Sixty-five percent saw increased speed of access to technology, and 54 percent saw reduced delivery time of new services to new markets. They see the power of extensibility.

One company making great strides with extensibility is CSC, a global leader in IT. CSC modified its digital platform to appeal more widely and personally to its audience. The main driver of this need has been the rise of social media and its power in the marketing world. Needing to adapt to this change, CSC’s marketing team added pieces to its tech stack to analyze its data and appeal better to its target audience. As a result, CSC has seen twice as many marketing leads because of its efforts to personalize content to each customer.

“Integration between solutions gets data flowing so that our marketers can be more effective.”

Christopher Marin

Senior Principal, Digital Marketing Platform & Analytics, CSC

Source: Adobe

A scalable foundation will drive you into the future and beyond.

With the door unlocked and opened, the last step is to move across the threshold and embrace the future. Scalability will give you that push, making it possible to handle huge amounts of information with a proficiency that makes real-time personalization a breeze.

Without this ability, your digital foundation has no way of being future-proof.

As digital becomes increasingly available, customer counts will only continue to rise. And meeting their demand is key to a successful future. Scalability allows constant audience growth because your tech stack will always be able to handle whatever trends come your way. If you cannot scale to meet audience growth, your marketing campaigns will fall short. Letting scalability fall to the bottom of your priority list is a mistake. Without it, your tech stack will never be as strong as it could be.

As we said before, Cisco reported that over 6 billion 4G and 5G devices will be connected by 2021. As the world becomes more connected, and as audiences continue to grow, scalability becomes a key component to the future of tech. And this trend will continue to move upward as digital moves powerfully forward.

Many big names are already scaling their experiences. Dell is one company that knows the great value of scaling to different audience sizes — especially being able to meet customers on a personal level. The tech giant began developing enhanced mobile experiences for its customers and from there branched out to multiple other devices. Now, Dell can easily connect to customers across several channels — and they have seen conversion and satisfaction increase.

“Our team’s ability to measure and track customer interactions is far beyond where we were only a few years ago.”

Craig Friedman

Director of Analytics, Insights, and Optimization, Dell

Source: Adobe

Similarly, Dutch tech company Philips has seen the ample benefits of scalability. This is a massive company with several divisions focusing on electronics, healthcare, and lighting. A strong, scalable tech stack allows it to deliver localized content to scale in just minutes. This increases its appeal to both prospective and current consumers, and it enhances their brand’s image to the world.

Failing to create a scalable tech stack will ultimately lead to an outdated system — one that falls way behind the competition. Without scalability, you can’t truly be future-proof — you would simply unlock and open the door to the future, but never take that step forward.

Prepare your digital foundation for the future.

When it comes to tech, old ways definitely don’t open new doors. So it’s time to create a digital foundation that will last for a long time. It’s time to build a future-proof tech stack that is secure, extensible, and scalable.

As a result, you’ll see your audience grow, your solutions expand, and your revenue increase. Because the future days of tech hold countless innovations that await your discovery. Take charge and unlock the pathway to a successful future by building a digital foundation that will be relevant for years — or even generations — to come.

Discover how Adobe can help you open the door to the future with a digital foundation.